First visit to Domaine de Cassiopée – tasting the 2020s

Domaine de Cassiopée is a new estate in Maranges – or more precisely, Sampigny-les-Maranges.

To be honest, the Winehog rarely goes to Maranges – Brompton struggles to manage the trip on one charge. But with a little help from my friends, I had the opportunity to visit the delightful couple Talloulah et Hugo Mathurin.

Sampigny-les-Maranges

The Cassiopée vineyards

Maranges and its surroundings are, vineyard-wise, relatively unknown territory for me, and while there definitely are distinctive terroirs, I will let Talloulah and Hugo Mathurin describe their vineyards in detail – including the yellow car. Thanks to these two for the description; very helpful indeed.

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WHITE:

Bourgogne Aligoté Mitancherie: a 0.5-ha plot in Sampigny in front of the ‘Maranges hill,’ where the soil was considered too cold for wine 20 years ago; the vines are 30 years old.

Bourgogne Aligoté En Gerlieus (made 40% in amphorae/60% in barrel): En Gerlieus is located in Chassey-le-Camp, 10 km to the southeast, so no close neighbours, only forest. The aligote vines are 40-100 years old.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc Les Côtés: two thirds comes from a four-year-old planting on limestone rock, the rest from vines on granitic rock. The two plots face each other on the ‘cold hill.’ 

RED: 

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge Les Côtés: Pinot noir on granitic rock.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Les Paizets: Pinot noir on limestone, on the same ‘cold hill’ as the red and white climat Les Côtés.

Bourgogne Rouge En Gerlieus: 0.9 ha in Chassey-le-Camp, beside the aligoté. Vines 50-70 years old.

Maranges le Bas du Clos: 90-year-old vines behind the house, where we assembled to discuss at the end of the tasting.

Maranges Les Plantes: 110-year-old vines beside the ‘yellow car.’ 

Now to the notes!

Whites

The Bourgogne Aligoté Mitancherie 2020 is from a cool plot with 30-year-old vines at the foot of the Maranges hill. This is a lively and exuberant aligoté, harvested on September 4-5. With lovely, fresh, and generous fruit, it’s almost aperitif-like, with a vin de soif feeling. This simply tastes good, and it has a lovely, hedonistic feel.

(Drink from 2022) – Good+ – (87p) – Tasted 12/06/2021 –

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The Bourgogne Aligoté En Gerlieus 2020 comes as mentioned above, from 40- to 100-year- old vines. This is a much more mineral-intense wine, harvested a bit earlier (August 30). There is quite a difference between the barrel and the amphorae versions, with the blended wine offering the best of both worlds. The amphora treatment does add an effortlessness to the wine, with the barrel-fermented part adding edge and detail. With a tremendously mineral feel, this is both a balanced and an intense aligoté – very delicate, and with an elegant and clear aligoté signature. One of my favourite aligotés, alongside Nicholas Faure’s Bully.

(Drink from 2024) – Very Good+ – (90-91p) – Tasted 12/06/2021 –

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The Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc Les Côtés 2020 is from relatively young vines, yet is quite intense, with a slight hint of sauvignon (in chardonnay!). It is elegant, vivid, and very well made, yet it struggles when compared with the two aligotés. It will certainly improve as the vines age.

(Drink from 2022) – Good – (87p) – Tasted 12/06/2021 –

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Reds

The Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge Les Côtés 2020 is a wine with a strong mineral expression, with the granitic soil really showing its intensity and stony character. The tannic structure is generous and almost silky/velvety, with the granite grumbling in the background. A wine with a strong expression of its terroir.

(Drink from 2022) – Good – (87p) – Tasted 12/06/2021 –

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The Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Les Paizets 2020 has a more traditional feeling. It’s juicy and vivid, and slightly reduced. Both intense and refined, it shows lovely wild raspberries, and is precise and lively, a reflection of the nature of the vintage.

(Drink from 2022) – Good+ – (87-88p) – Tasted 12/06/2021 –

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The Chassey-le-Champ area is, in my ignorance, unknown to me, yet it has produced two delightful wines in 2020. The Domaine de Cassiopée Bourgogne Rouge En Gerlieus vineyard is right beside the aligoté, with vines between 50 and 70 years old. The 2020 was vinified with 40% whole clusters, and is rich and a bit rounded, with intense fruit and some tannic roughness compared to the other delicate beauties. The structure and the whole-cluster character do, however, give a lovely feel. Needless to say, I enjoyed this wine.

(Drink from 2026) – Very Good – (88p) – Tasted 12/06/2021 –

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